07/01/2013

Advanced Java Programming Course

MultiThreading

Session objectives
Introduction

Creating thread
Thread class and Thread behaviors Thread properties

Thread pooling
Thread synchronization Deadlocks
By V Vn Hi Faculty of Information Technologies Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City

Callables and Futures Thread and GUI

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Introduction
A program may consist of many tasks that can run concurrently. A thread is the flow of execution, from beginning to end, of a task. It provides the mechanism for running a task. With Java, you can launch multiple threads from a program concurrently. These threads can be executed simultaneously in multiprocessor systems

Introduction

(a) Here multiple threads are running on multiple CPUs.

(b) Here multiple threads share a single CPU.

In single-processor systems, the multiple threads share CPU time known as time sharing, and the operating system is

responsible for scheduling and allocating resources to them.

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Java programs execution and Thread

When Java programs execute, there is always one thread running and that is the main thread.
It is this thread from which child threads are created.
Program is terminated when main thread stops execution. Main thread can be controlled through Thread objects. Reference of the main thread can be obtained by calling the currentThread() method of the Thread class.

Creating Tasks and Threads

Tasks are objects. To create tasks, you have to first define a class

for tasks. A task class must implement the Runnable interface

You need to implement run method to tell the system how your thread is going to run

Thread class
The Thread class contains the constructors for creating threads for tasks, and the methods for controlling threads.

1. create your task

3. Result

2. Start thread

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Another way to create thread

This approach is not recommended, because it mixes the task and the mechanism of running the task. Separating the task from the thread is a preferred design.

Thread behaviors The sleep() method

The sleep(long millis) method puts the thread to sleep for the specified time in milliseconds to allow other threads to execute.

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Thread behaviors The yield() method

the yield() method causes the currently executing thread to yield. If there are other runnable threads with a priority at least as high as the priority of this thread, they will be scheduled next.

Thread behaviors The join() method

Causes the current thread to wait until the thread on which it is called terminates. Allows specifying the maximum amount of time that the program should wait for the particular thread to terminate. It throws InterruptedException if another thread interrupts it. The calling thread waits until the specified thread terminates.

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Thread with join

Interrupting threads
There is no longer a way to force a thread to terminate. The interrupt() method can be used to request termination of a

thread.
Checking one thread is interrupted:

Thread.currentThread().isInterrupted()
If a thread is blocked, it cannot check the interrupted status. This is where the InterruptedException comes in.

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Interrupting threads (cont.)

Pattern for interrupting an public void run() { thread try { . . . while (more work to do) { do more work } } catch (InterruptedException exception) { // thread was interrupted during sleep or wait } finally { cleanup, if required } // exit run method and terminate thread }
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Thread properties

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Managing threads:

Priorities (1)

Managing threads:

Priorities (2)

In Java, thread scheduler can use the thread priorities in the form of integer value to each of its thread to determine the

When a Java thread is created, it inherits its priority from the thread that created it. At any given time, when multiple threads are ready to be executed, the runtime

execution schedule of threads .

Thread gets the ready-to-run state according to their priorities. The thread scheduler provides the CPU time to

system chooses the runnable thread with the highest priority for execution.
In the implementation of threading scheduler usually applies one of the two following strategies:
Preemptive scheduling: If the new thread has a higher priority then current running thread leaves the runnable state and higher priority thread enter to the runnable state. Time-Sliced (Round-Robin) Scheduling: A running thread is allowed to be execute for the fixed time, after completion the time, current thread indicates to the another thread to enter it in the runnable state.

thread of highest priority during ready-to-run state.

Constant Thread.MAX_PRIORITY Thread.MIN_PRIORITY Description The maximum priority of any thread (10) The minimum priority of any thread (1)
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Thread.NORM_PRIORITY The normal priority of any thread (5)

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Managing threads:

Priorities (3)

Daemon threads
Two types of threads in Java:
1. User threads:
Created by the user Threads that work in the background providing service to other threads (e.g. the garbage collector thread)

The highest-priority runnable thread keeps running until:

It yields by calling the yield() method It ceases to be runnable (either by dying or by entering the blocked state) A higher-priority thread has become runnable.

2. Daemon threads:

When user thread exits, JVM checks to find out if any other thread is running.
If there are, it will schedule the next thread. If the only executing threads are daemon threads, it exits.

We can use follow method to set priority of Thread

void setPriority(int newPriority)
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We can set a thread to be a Daemon if we do not want the main program to wait until a thread ends.
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Thread Pools
A thread pool is ideal to manage the number of tasks executing concurrently. Java provides the Executor interface for executing tasks in a thread pool and the ExecutorService interface for managing and controlling tasks

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Thread Pools - The Executor interface (1/2)

To create an Executorobject, use the static methods in the

Thread Pools - The Executor interface (2/2)

The newCachedThreadPool() method creates a new thread if all the threads in the pool are not idle and there are tasks waiting for execution.
A thread in a cached pool will be terminated if it has not been used

Executorsclass.
The newFixedThreadPool(int) method creates a fixed number of threads in a pool.
If a thread completes executing a task, it can be reused to execute
another task. If a thread terminates due to a failure prior to shutdown, a new thread will be created to replace it If all the threads in the pool are not idle and there are tasks waiting for execution.
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for 60 seconds.
A cached pool is efficient for many short tasks.

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Thread Pools The ExecutorService interface

The shutdown() method shuts down the executor, but allows the tasks in the executor to complete. Once shut down, it cannot accept new tasks. The shutdownNow() method shuts down the executor immediately even though there are unfinished threads in the pool. Returns a list of unfinished tasks. The isShutdown() method returns true if the executor has been shut down. The isTerminated() method returns true if all tasks in the pool are

Thread Pools demo

terminated
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Thread Synchronization
What happens if two threads have access to the same object and each calls a method that modifies the state of the object? In such a case, data may become inconsistent. Situation is often called a race condition. To avoid simultaneous access of a shared object by multiple threads, you must learn how to synchronize the access.

Thread Synchronization
Thread Communication Without Synchronization
View follow example: UnsynchBankTest.java

There are some things wrong in this Bank. The Race Condition Explained:
The prolem is that these are not atomic operations. View follow
figure The real problem is that the work of the transfer method can be interrupted in the middle. If we could ensure that the method runs

to completion before the thread loses control, then the state of the
bank account object would not be corrupted.
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Thread Synchronization

Thread Synchronization
Synchronization is based on the concept of monitor.
A monitor is an object that is used as a mutually exclusive lock.

Only one thread can enter a monitor:

When one thread enters the monitor, it means that the thread has acquired a lock All other threads must wait till that thread exits the monitor.

For a thread to enter the monitor of an object:

The programmer may invoke a method created using the synchronized keyword (implicit synchronize).

Or using explicit lock objects.

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Thread Synchronization 1st approach

Concurrency mechanism:
Simply tag any operation that should not be interrupted as synchronized, for example :
public synchronized void transfer(int from, int to,int amount)

Comparison of unsynchronized and synchronized threads

When one thread calls a synchronized method, it is guaranteed that the method will finish before another thread can execute any synchronized method on the same object.

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Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.) how it work?

When a thread calls a synchronized method, the object becomes "locked." Periodically, the thread scheduler activates the threads that are waiting for the lock to open. Other threads are still free to call unsynchronized methods on a locked object. When a thread leaves a synchronized method by throwing an exception, it still relinquishes the object lock. If a thread owns the lock of an object and it calls another synchronized method of the same object, then that method is automatically granted access. The thread only relinquishes the lock when it exits the last

Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

The wait - notify mechanism

This mechanism ensures that there is a smooth transition of a particular resource between two competitive threads. It also oversees the condition in a program where one thread is:
Allowed to wait for the lock. Notified to end its waiting state and get the lock

When a thread executes a call to wait, it surrenders the object lock and enters a wait list for that object.
To remove a thread from the wait list, some other thread must make a call to notifyAll or notify, on the same object.
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synchronized method.
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Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

The wait - notify mechanism (cont.)

Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

The wait - notify mechanism example

notify()
notify() wakes up or notifies the first thread.

First thread

notifyAll()
notifyAll() wakes up or notifies all the threads that called wait( ) on the same object.
Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

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An incorrect implementation of a producer and consumer

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Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

The wait - notify mechanism example

Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

Synchronized Blocks

Syntax : synchronized (object){

//do your work }

Example : 1. public void run() 2. { 3. //. . . 4. synchronized (bank) // lock the bank object 5. { 6. if (bank.getBalance(from) >= amount) 7. bank.transfer(from, to, amount); 8. } 9. //. . . 10.}
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Thread Synchronization 1st approach (cont.)

Synchronized static method

Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Lock Objects

If one thread calls a synchronized static method of a class, all synchronized static methods of the class are blocked until the first call returns. Example :
public static synchronized Singleton getInstance()

The basic outline for protecting a code block with a ReentrantLock is:

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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Lock Objects (cont.)

Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Lock Objects (cont.)

This construct guarantees that only one thread at a time can enter the critical section.

Imagine we have a very simple case where we need to synchronize access to a pair of variables. One is a simple value

As soon as one thread locks the lock object, no other thread can
get past the lock statement. When other threads call lock, they are blocked until the first

and another is derived based on some lengthy calculation.

thread unlocks the lock object.

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Simple, but if we have a lot of contention or if we perform a lot of reads and few writes?
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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects

Using of ReadWriteLock

See code below:

if (bank.getBalance(from) >= amount)

bank.transfer(from, to, amount); It is entirely possible that the current thread will be deactivated between the successful outcome of the test and the call to

transfer:
if (bank.getBalance(from) >= amount)
// thread might be deactivated at this point

bank.transfer(from, to, amount); By the time the thread is running again, the account balance may have fallen below the withdrawal amount.
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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects (cont.)

Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects (cont.)

You must make sure that the thread cannot be interrupted between the test and the insertion:

What do we do when there is not enough money in the account? We wait until some other thread has added funds. But this

thread has just gained exclusive access to the bankLock, so no

other thread has a chance to make a deposit. The solution is : condition objects
A lock object can have one or more associated condition objects.

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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects (cont.)

Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects (cont.)
There is an essential difference between a thread that is waiting to acquire a lock and a thread that has called await. Once a thread calls the await method, it enters a wait set for that condition. Thread is not unblocked when the lock is available.

If the Transfer method finds that sufficient funds are not available, it calls sufficientFunds.await(); =>The current thread is now blocked and gives up the lock. This

lets in another thread that can, we hope, increase the account

balance

Instead, it stays blocked until another thread has called the signalAll
method on the same condition. The signalAll method call unblocks all threads that are waiting for the condition.

When the threads are removed from the wait set, they are again runnable
and the scheduler will eventually activate them again.
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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Condition Objects (cont.)

Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.)

Fainess

A fair lock favors the thread that has been waiting for the longest time.

By default, locks are not required to be fair.

You can specify that you want a fair locking policy:
Lock fairLock = new ReentrantLock(true);

Fair locks are a lot slower than regular locks. You should only enable fair locking if you have a specific reason why fairness is essential for your problem.
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Thread Synchronization 2nd approach (cont.) Lock Testing and Timeouts

The tryLock method tries to acquire a lock and returns true if it was

Deadlocks
Analyzing following situation

successful. Otherwise, it immediately returns false.

You can call tryLock with a timeout parameter, like this:

if (myLock.tryLock(100, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)) . . .

TimeUnit is an enumeration with values SECONDS, MILLISECONDS, MICROSECONDS, and NANOSECONDS.

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Deadlocks(cont.)
If all threads in an application are blocked. The system has deadlocked. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the Java programming language to avoid or break these deadlocks.

Callables and Futures

Introduction

A Runnable encapsulates a task that runs asynchronously; you can think of it as an asynchronous method with no parameters and no return value. Drawback of Runnable:
Cannot return any type (of run method) No parameters (of run method)

You must design your threads to ensure that a deadlock situation

cannot occur. Notify/notifyAll method can unblock thread(s).
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Processing exception locally.

So, we need another mechanic: Callable The Callable interface is a parameterized type, with a single method

call:
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Callables and Futures (cont)

Future object

Callables and Futures

Example

Future

object

holds

the

result

of

an

asynchronous

The FutureTask wrapper is a convenient mechanism for turning a Callable into both a Future and a Runnable it implements both interfaces.

computation. You use a Future object so that you can start a computation, give the result to someone, and forget about it. The owner of the Future object can obtain the result when it is ready.

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GUI Event Dispatch Thread

GUI event handling and painting code executes on a special thread called the event dispatch thread.

GUI Event Dispatch Thread code template

Most of Swing methods are not thread-safe. Invoking them

from multiple threads may cause conflicts. You need to run the code in the event dispatch thread to avoid

possible conflicts.
You can use the static methods, invokeLater and invokeAndWait in the javax.swing.SwingUtilities class to run the code in the

event dispatch thread.

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Thread and Swing - SwingWorker

All Swing GUI events are processed in a single event dispatch thread. If an event requires a long time to process, the thread cannot attend to other tasks in the queue. To solve this problem, you should run the time-consuming task for processing the event in a separate thread. You can define a task class that extends SwingWorker, run the time-consuming task and update the GUI using the results produced from the task.
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Thread and Swing - SwingWorker

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Thread and Swing - SwingWorker

Since the task is run on a separate thread, you can continue to use the GUI.

If the task is executed on the event dispatch thread, the GUI is

frozen

Thread and Swing - SwingWorker

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Thats all for this session!

Thread is a special and interesting property of Java
For building a single program to perform more than one task at the same time (multithreading program)

Thread synchronization

Other advanced technique to use multithreading is Callable

The best technique to handling multithreading.

Thank you all for your attention and patient !

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